


that girl was an assassin too

by coffeesuperhero



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003), Star Wars Extended Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-04
Updated: 2010-04-04
Packaged: 2017-10-08 17:25:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/77820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeesuperhero/pseuds/coffeesuperhero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><b>Title:</b> that girl was an assassin too <br/><b>Fandom:</b> Battlestar Galactica (2003)/Star Wars EU (and really just the Zahn novels, because that's all I can be bothered to read)<br/><b>Characters:</b> Mara Jade, Tom Zarek<br/><b>Rating:</b> R (for an expressed desire to kill Tom Zarek, but can you blame me? *_*)<br/><b>Disclaimers:</b> I have played fast and loose with both universes, so consider this an AU for both of 'em. This isn't for profit, just for the fun of the magnificent <a href="http://sabinelagrande.livejournal.com">sabinelagrande's</a> <b>A Ficathon Walks Into a Bar</b>. All characters & situations belong to RDM, David Eick, Sci-Fi, NBC Universal, George Lucas, Lucasarts, Lucasfilm, Timothy Zahn, Bantam Publishing and their various subsidiaries/any entity I forgot to name. Title from a song of John Mayer's, which I also had nothing to do with.<br/><b>A/N</b>: Thanks to <a href="http://leiascully.livejournal.com">leiascully</a> for looking this over, and to the folks at Wookiepedia, whose pages you should visit if'n you wanna know more about the <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Alcoholic_beverages"> alcoholic beverages</a> mentioned in this here story. <br/><b>Prompts</b>: Mara Jade walks into a bar and meets... Tom Zarek!</p>
    </blockquote>





	that girl was an assassin too

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** that girl was an assassin too   
> **Fandom:** Battlestar Galactica (2003)/Star Wars EU (and really just the Zahn novels, because that's all I can be bothered to read)  
> **Characters:** Mara Jade, Tom Zarek  
> **Rating:** R (for an expressed desire to kill Tom Zarek, but can you blame me? *_*)  
> **Disclaimers:** I have played fast and loose with both universes, so consider this an AU for both of 'em. This isn't for profit, just for the fun of the magnificent [sabinelagrande's](http://sabinelagrande.livejournal.com) **A Ficathon Walks Into a Bar**. All characters &amp; situations belong to RDM, David Eick, Sci-Fi, NBC Universal, George Lucas, Lucasarts, Lucasfilm, Timothy Zahn, Bantam Publishing and their various subsidiaries/any entity I forgot to name. Title from a song of John Mayer's, which I also had nothing to do with.  
> **A/N**: Thanks to [leiascully](http://leiascully.livejournal.com) for looking this over, and to the folks at Wookiepedia, whose pages you should visit if'n you wanna know more about the [ alcoholic beverages](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Alcoholic_beverages) mentioned in this here story.   
> **Prompts**: Mara Jade walks into a bar and meets... Tom Zarek!

This is not where Mara Jade wants to be tonight. She has it on good authority from one of Rogue Squadron's newest members that the New Republic is secretly testing out a new snub fighter, and though fighter planes aren't usually her thing, she certainly wasn't going to turn down Starbuck's offer to give one a good run-down. Kara owes her the favor-- hell, Kara owes her at least ten favors-- and she knows could use the time away from responsibilities, not to mention that Kara's usually up for a good fight, and Mara's been itching for one ever since she started this undercover work with Lando.

But then duty calls, and now instead of the cockpit of a snub fighter Mara finds herself lounging against the bar of this seamy Underlevel cantina wearing a slinky cocktail dress. This is an aging hole-in-the-wall that's been around since the Old Republic, and it's not exactly the place you're likely to find a Coruscanti socialite. It is the kind of place you're likely to find Tom Zarek, and that's who she's supposed to be looking for.

Mara hadn't thought that Karrde would bother much about any of the Colonials. But in the years since their fleet first appeared over the desolate skies of the former Noghri homeworld, her boss has taken a general liking to the Colonials and a particular liking to the hefty fee he can charge the New Republic for information pertaining to their activities, so when he had overheard Laura Roslin _casually suggesting_ to Organa-Solo at one of the final Smuggler's Alliance functions that Fey'lya's new friend Zarek wasn't always a friend of hers, he had carefully filed that information away and saved it for a night like this. The time's right for an ambitious politician like Zarek to make a move, Karrde suspects, so she's here to figure out what that might be, so that they can figure out how best to disclose this information to the highest paying party. Mara snorts and orders a glass of whiskey. She knows where this information is going, and that'll be the New Republic-- specifically, Senator Laura Roslin. He would never admit it, but Mara thinks that Karrde has developed a bit of a soft spot for the former Colonial President. She would say that it was a weakness, but even Mara has to admit that she respects the woman. Roslin would have been a force-- no pun intended, Mara thinks, rolling her eyes at her own terrible joke-- in the Empire, and no mistake. She's suddenly glad that none of the Colonials have exhibited much of an ability to use the Force.

She's thinking of what the Empire might have been like under Grand Moff Laura Roslin when Zarek makes his way into the bar. It's time to go to work. Mara downs her Whyrens Reserve before he can see her, orders a Coruscant cooler, and swishes over to the empty table behind the one her target is now occupying. She does her best to look a little uncomfortable, like a lady in need of a rescuing. She tugs at the neckline of the dress and mentally gives him three minutes before he's occupying the vacant seat at her table. It takes him two.

"Excuse me," he says, voice oozing with the kind of smarmy charm that she imagines could convince a person of lesser intelligence to buy ocean-front property on Hoth, "is this seat taken?"

She blinks up at him, wide-eyed, and nods. "Thank you," she murmurs, after he settles into the chair. "I'm afraid I've gotten a little lost. The city's so big, you know."

"Well, I can't very well leave a pretty girl alone to fend for herself," he says, grinning in what he probably thinks is a dashing way. "I'm Tom," he adds, bobbing his head at her.

"Callista," Mara replies, just to amuse herself. "Tom?" She taps her lips thoughtfully. "I'm sure that I've seen you on the holonet," she suggests, waving one hand vapidly around as though it could pull the information from the air. "Are you some kind of famous politician?"

He smiles. She's seen that kind of smile before, but it was a Hutt, not a human, wearing the expression. Mara decides that it looked better on the Hutt.

"I dabble," he drawls, and then he starts talking, and he doesn't seem inclined to stop. Unfortunately, none of it is very useful, and she thinks that she's probably going to have to get him drunk if he's going to say anything useful.

He blathers on about the resistance and prison and some book he wrote, ages ago, and while he amuses himself with this endless badinage, Mara Jade sips her cooler and studies Tom Zarek. It's probably a pity-- at least as far as he would be concerned, anyway-- that he chose politics over smuggling, because she's pretty sure that this guy would give Talon Karrde a run for his credits. But Tom Zarek seems to be through with a life of illegitimate crime, choosing instead to focus on the galaxy's more accepted method of screwing people: politics.

He interrupts his own boring monologue to say something flattering about her dress and her hair and her eyes, and she ignores the tiny part of her that thinks it might be fun to start up the old business again. Skywalker would not approve. He'd probably have several ancient Jedi platitudes to throw at her, immediately followed, of course, by the obligatory appeal for her to finish her training, already, but that'll happen when banthas fly, she thinks, and tries to pay attention to Zarek, who is complimenting her hair yet again.

Apparently, he likes redheads.

She giggles, right on cue, and he asks if she wants something to drink.

"Oooh," she coos, letting her voice slip into the same nauseating naive schoolgirl lilt that she uses for her missions with Lando. "I can't believe they really have Thikkiian brandy here! I've only ever heard of it!"

"Oh?" Zarek leans over the menu and glances casually in the direction of her breasts. "What's it do? Do you think it can turn an old campaigner like me into someone a pretty young lady could tolerate for an evening?"

Mara giggles behind her hand and makes a mental note to ask Karrde for a larger cut of whatever profit they make off this information. "Well," she says, pausing for dramatic effect, "I don't see why not. But I've always heard that Thikkiian brandy is supposed to put hair on your chest," she laughs, patting her chest just below the collarbones. "And I've never been brave enough to try."

"Tell you what," he says gallantly, gesturing towards the bar, "I'll order a glass of the brandy, and I'll just bring you whatever the bartender thinks a lady should be drinking."

She figures that it isn't the first time she's faked intoxication to get information, and if this thing with Lando keeps up, it certainly won't be the last. She bats her eyelashes and nods sweetly, and he heads off towards the bar, strutting like he owns the joint. She keeps a careful eye on Zarek as the bartender hands him the drinks. Faking intoxication is one thing, but being fooled by the likes of Tom Zarek is another. She has a reputation to maintain, after all.

When he comes back to their table, he's holding a glass of brandy so potent that she smelled it before he returns. He smiles again and hands her a glass.

"It's called a Breath of Heaven," he explains, and Mara gives him twenty seconds before he tries the celestial pick-up line. It takes him ten.

It really is a pity that she doesn't kill people for a living anymore.


End file.
